Have you ever built a campfire? The basics of creating the perfect campfire are fuel, oxygen, and heat. Recreate these elements to build a warm and inviting campfire sculpture.
MATERIALS
- Two 8.5 x 11” pieces of paper for each color: gray/black, brown
- One 5 x 7” piece of paper for each color: red, orange, yellow
- Clear tape
- Gluestick
- Scissors
- Black or brown marker
- Images of campfires
TRY IT!
- Create a campfire ring. Cut 1 piece of gray or black paper into 4 equal strips. Connect two strips with tape and form a ring. Place this ring on your other piece of gray or black paper. Set aside.
- Create fuel for your fire. Cut both brown pieces of paper into fourths, decorate one side of each with a woodgrain pattern. Roll 6 of the 8 pieces of brown paper into “wooden log” cylinders and tape each one to hold its shape. Keep the 2 remaining pieces to cut “kindling” or small branches or wood and “tinder” or small pieces of bark or leaves.
- Create fire for your fuel. Cut a large flame shape out of red paper. Cut a medium flame shape out of orange paper. Cut a small flame shape out of yellow paper. Glue together.
- Build your campfire. Place two logs into the campfire ring, making sure that they have space in between them. Place two more logs in the opposite direction on top of the first layer of logs. Place tinder and kindling in the center of the logs. Place the last two logs in the opposite direction of the second layer. Place more tinder and kindling in the center of the six logs.
- Start your fire. “Ignite” your campfire with the flames that you made and place it in the center of the logs.
GUIDING QUESTIONS
- What are the elements of a campfire?
- Have you ever experienced a campfire before?
- Why is it important to make sure that there is space in between the logs?
- What was your favorite part of this activity?
LEARNING BEHIND THE PLAY
- Supports fine motor skills development
- Encourages creative problem solving and decision making
- Fosters kinesthetic learning of a subject matter through 3D representation
TAKE IT FURTHER
Encourage your child to practice re-building their campfire. Introduce your child to the relationship between oxygen and fire. Have your child create a drawing or painting of their campfire. Read a campfire story after they have built their sculpture. Discuss fire safety with your child.